BREC

[richyb83 960]

Since Today is the 1st Full Day of Spring....I thought this was an appropriate "Topic"

It's been said BREC is one of the premier parks & recreation systems in the country. I think it essential.

On Saturday March 31st, BR residents will be asked to renew a tax for funds and operations. Without this money a third of all it's parks and programs would have to be closed immediately and fees would have to be increased 300 percent. Results from Southern Media Opinion Reasearch say 80% surveyed say BREC is doing a good or excellent job and over 70% will vote Yes for the tax renewal.

BREC encompasses numerous different recreational facilities throughout the city including:

186-Parks; 7-Swiming Pools; 152-Baseball & Softball Fields; 2-Disc Golf Ranges

64-Recreational Centers; 170-Neighborhood Tennis Courts; 6-Fishing Lakes

7-Golf Courses; 1- Archery Range; 1- Air Gun Range;

5-Fitness Centers; 1-Croquet Court; 4- Bocce Ball Courts(what's that??)

6-Senior Citizens Centers

3- Stadiums

2- Montain Bike Parks; 1-Velodrome; 1-BMX Track

BREC also owns and operates:

*BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo * Cohn Arboretum * Farr Park Horse Activity & RV Center

*Highland Road Observatory * Independence Park Botanical Gardens * BR Gallery

*Magnolia Mound Plantation * Independence Park Theatre* Magnolia Cemetary

* Bluebonnet Swamp & Nature Center * Blackwater Bayou Conservation Area

*Oak Villa Athletic Complex * Burbank Soccer Complex

*Goldsby Field * Memorial Stadium * Olympia Stadium

* BR Beach (expansion) * City Park (renovation)

>>An X-treme Sports Park is also in the works on Perkins Road/Olympia Park

Bluebonnet Swamp-North Oak Hills Parkway

101- acre site dedicated to conservation, education, recreation, and tourism.

Wildlife is plentiful. A variety of birds like Owls, Hawks. Also Raccoons, foxes, bobcats, snakes, turtles and alligators.

I have yet to see any foxes, bobcats or alligators.

Cohn Arboretum- Foster Road

Phase II- BR Beach (new Stanford Ave. median not shown) across from new Crescent Condo's on University Lake

*Highland Road Observatory pic was unable to load

http://www.brec.org/

>>Do any of yall benefit from the services provided by BREC??

Edited March 21, 2007 by richyb83

[byrde 55]

My kids play soccer so I spend PLENTY of time in at both soccer complexes. They also took swimming lessons last summer and will this summer at BREC Parks. My wish for the parks would be to build better bike and jogging trails at the parks. Many people love to walk/jog around Independence Park, but there really is no safe way to make that happen. It would be nice if a trail was built inside the fence around Indy.

[dan326 305]

They have put up a big sign in front of the soon to be Xtreme park complex.

[richyb83 960]

^ Thanks for the update Dan.

^^ Byrde...It looks like a new walking trail will be implemented into the New Main Library at Indy Park. It would wind around the botanical garden and theatre and go back around into the reconfigured library.

I read something about this a few years ago; don't know if it will ever happen?? It would not be $cheap!

Having a bike/walking/nature trail along the Bayou Duplantier(urban) Watershed.

*Bayou Duplantier Watershed roughly outlined in green* approx. 460-acres

This is a huge area of undeveloped land that should/will always stay preserved.

>>Think of how nice it would be to ride a bike from University Lake/Stanford Ave./along the bayou past Lee Drive all the way to LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center/BREC's Olympia Park. That would be a cool connection to ride from BR Beach to the X-treme Sports Park w/o ever getting inside a car.

*Photo not up to date with Crescent Condo's

This could also cut across LSU campus down So.Stadium Drive/Skip Bertman Ave. to the New Bike Path on the Levee;which could take you Downtown.

Edited March 22, 2007 by richyb83

[richyb83 960]

The 10 year Tax renewal for BREC passed approx. 60%-40% last night.

[byrde 55]

^ Thanks for the update Dan.

^^ Byrde...It looks like a new walking trail will be implemented into the New Main Library at Indy Park. It would wind around the botanical garden and theatre and go back around into the reconfigured library.

I read something about this a few years ago; don't know if it will ever happen?? It would not be $cheap!

Having a bike/walking/nature trail along the Bayou Duplantier(urban) Watershed.

*Bayou Duplantier Watershed roughly outlined in green* approx. 460-acres

This is a huge area of undeveloped land that should/will always stay preserved.

>>Think of how nice it would be to ride a bike from University Lake/Stanford Ave./along the bayou past Lee Drive all the way to LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center/BREC's Olympia Park. That would be a cool connection to ride from BR Beach to the X-treme Sports Park w/o ever getting inside a car.

*Photo not up to date with Crescent Condo's

This could also cut across LSU campus down So.Stadium Drive/Skip Bertman Ave. to the New Bike Path on the Levee;which could take you Downtown.

I would LOVE to have a bike/walking trail like that. That would be a cool amenity for the city.

[brresident 0]

>>Think of how nice it would be to ride a bike from University Lake/Stanford Ave./along the bayou past Lee Drive all the way to LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center/BREC's Olympia Park. That would be a cool connection to ride from BR Beach to the X-treme Sports Park w/o ever getting inside a car.

It would be even more nice if they incorporated a two lane street through there along with the bike rooute. Traffic out of LSU is a beotch.

[richyb83 960]

114 acre Forest Park to get big makeover; walking trail, lighting, security upgrades planned.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/7778522.html

As part of a proposed makeover of 114-acre Forest Park, planners are looking at closing the remote looping drive that has become a popular place for homosexual activity in recent years.

>This is great to know, this park has been no place to take a family or even throw the football. The nasty old men have been getting busted by soliciting undercover detectives. It's ashame it's come to this.

[richyb83 960]

Corps: Drain 7 LSU lakes

In 2005, the corps, in cooperation with the city of Baton Rouge and the East Baton Rouge Parish Recreation and Park Commission, started work on a feasibility study on what should be done to restore the lakes.

Although no decision has been made yet on which plan to use, the alternative that seems to be the most cost effective and provide the best ecological benefit is to deepen the lakes, Wingate said.

Currently, the lakes have an average depth of about 2.5 feet with some pockets of 4 feet to 6 feet deep.

Edited July 28, 2007 by richyb83

[byrde 55]

How will they refill the lakes? Where will the water come from?

[richyb83 960]

^Good question Bryde?? I know they will be pumping plenty of mud down below.

Property of the Week

*compliments of businessreport Real Estate Weekly

Construction is underway on the Capital One Tennis Center in City Park. The facility, set to open at the end of the year, will have seven courts and a central building with locker rooms, showers, caf

[dan326 305]

Where will the water go?

[richyb83 960]

Program to connect parks

Jack noted that a recent survey of parish residents showed that the top priority is the construction of trails, both within and outside the parks.

The external paths could be constructed on roadside rights of way, or along creeks and drainage ditches, he said.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/9555712.html

I would like to make a request to BREC....

Connect BR Beach/University Lake to Olympia Park(X-treme Spots park) with walking trail/bike path(street lamps/benches) along the Bayou Duplantier urban watershed; they need to preserve this 400 acre greenbelt

This would also connect the levee bike path to downtown by treking across the LSU campus; this type of project takes BR to the next level as a rising city in the South as well as the U.S.

Edited September 4, 2007 by richyb83

[byrde 55]

That would be a great idea to connect City Park to Olympia Park via the Bayou. Creating several trail heads and making sure it is well lit would be the key to making it a success.

[richyb83 960]

Baton Rouge needs more bike trails like this! The 2.5 mile bike path on the levee is a good start. There is a nice trail in NBR's Monte Sano Park. And there are some nices mountain bike trails in NBR at Hooper Road Park near the Comite River.

http://www.businessreport.com/news/2007/se...y-trails-edvl1/

Edited November 8, 2007 by richyb83

[richyb83 960]

Bring on the bike trails!!!

http://capp-online.org/

PRELIMINARY TRAIL CORRIDOR MAP

BREC would like to thank everyone who attended the meeting on October 24th and provided ideas on trails. We have generated a map from the public meeting that can be accessed by clicking on the map icon below.

Click EBR icon; the map shrinks; that's why I did not post it, you have to look closely to see

[richyb83 960]

CAPP Announces the First Trail Project to be Studied for Development

Looks like this trail corridor will go to Perkins Rowe and along side The Grove!

http://capp-online.org/3.html

Jan. 15, 2008--BREC

[byrde 55]

Happy to see they are moving forward with the bike trails.

[richyb83 960]

Here's some more info on the 2.8 mile walk/bike path

BREC trail plan advances; Mall of Louisiana-Siegen link proposed....maybe Perkins Rowe too??

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/14303642.html

The East Baton Rouge Parish Recreation and Park Commission gave conceptual approval Thursday to a plan to develop a 12-foot-wide bike and walking trail from the Mall of Louisiana to the Siegen Lane Marketplace.

Ted Jack, BREC

[richyb83 960]

Maybe a pocket-park downtown would be a good idea?? Is this a good location? and tear-up the old post office building too??

BREC preparing bid papers for downtown park

The park will be at Seventh and Convention streets, the former Continental Trailways bus station that was most recently a U.S. Postal Service facility.

Jack said demolition work could be completed in two months and the park could open by year

[buckett5425 183]

Maybe a pocket-park downtown would be a good idea?? Is this a good location? and tear-up the old post office building too??

BREC preparing bid papers for downtown park

The park will be at Seventh and Convention streets, the former Continental Trailways bus station that was most recently a U.S. Postal Service facility.

Jack said demolition work could be completed in two months and the park could open by year's end.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/16208322.html

Its a good idea, but a bad location. We dont need another park downtown, we already have north Blvd, laffeyette park, the proposed desoto park, riverfront park, that park next to the old state capitol and the capitol gardens. I would much rather see the park built in beauregard town, or possibly even spanish town, where there are atleast residents to enjoy it. But ultimately, while i love the idea of new parks, i really think the money could be better spent somewhere else, like putting in walking trails along the university lakes so people dont have to run in to road or finishing the rest of the phases of the many capitol improvement projects BREC has undertaken.

[richyb83 960]

Agreed Buckett. There thinking is this new park will be the "mid-way" point between both neighborhoods. They would just have to walk a few blocks.

[twstdndmntd 0]

Well if I'm to be completely honest and I'm sure rub some people the wrong way, I think this city has way to many parks to begin with. We have them spread out all over the place and I hardly ever see people utilizing them. But yet we want to connect them together with walking trails. I think thats a waste of money. I say get rid of a few of them and use that money that would go to upkeep to enhance and "expand" the ones that are left. Let's face it there is no reason for the BREC system to open another park downtown, that's wasted money. I agree with what someone said earlier about putting walking trails completely around the lakes so we don't have to walk in the street. I walk frequentlly around the lakes and I have to say when you get on Lee it gets a little iffy with that traffic and not a wide enough sidewalk. I just think we should just get rid of some and enhance others.

[richyb83 960]

Lot of improvement going on across the city; City Park; Independence Park; Forest Park; Highland Road; Olympia, etc.

City-Brooks Park re-opens with grand flourish

The grand re-opening of City-Brooks Community Park takes place tomorrow, Saturday, May 31. BREC plans a full day of activities, including games, food, music and fun. Residents, parents, and children of all ages are encouraged to attend.

Improvements made to City Park include: Capitol One Tennis Center, Raising Cane

Edited May 30, 2008 by richyb83

[cajun 534]

Parks are worth spending the money on, in my opinion. Baton Rouge is only going to get bigger, and it's time to set aside some of that land for recreational use. Imagine New York without Central Park....Parks actually push development and help eliminate the need of families to move out to the suburbs. I'd pay more money for a smaller place if I were next to a good park that including a jogging trail, baseball or soccer fields, and maybe a good lake.

I'm not sure if I like the neighborhood park thing or just having a half dozen or so regional parks. I think that Baton Rouge should add one large park in a more centralized location in the city, perhaps off Jefferson or Corporate while the land is still undeveloped in some spots.

BREC's soccer parks are heavily used, as is the university lakes path.

Edited May 31, 2008 by cajun